Oil on canvas
support: 737 x 1245 mm
painting
Presented by Robert Vernon 1847
This picture shows an incident in Act 3 scene 4 of William Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night. Malvolio is a pompous steward in the household of the rich Countess Olivia. Fed up with his behaviour, his colleagues trick him into believing that Olivia is in love with him. A forged letter in Olivia's name leads Malvolio to think that it is his yellow cross-gartered stockings which particularly attract her to him. Thus dressed, Malvolio's ridiculous appearance and behaviour while he attempts to court Olivia in her garden leads to him being imprisoned as a madman.
(From the display caption November 2001)
http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?cgroupid=999999961&workid=9136&searchid=10458
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